What Jimbo Fisher's Firing Means for Oregon Recruiting
Texas A&M made a big decision on Sunday. The Aggies fired head coach Jimbo Fisher after six years in College Station, marking the beginning of the 2023-2024 college coaching carousel.
The age old saying goes "Commit to a program not a coach", but it's no secret that coaching changes have a major ripple effect on the recruiting trail.
While the Aggies may be going through a rough patch on the field, Texas A&M is one of the biggest recruiting powers in all of college football, as such the Oregon Ducks have found themselves going against the Aggies for blue-chip talent nearly every recruiting cycle.
With Fisher out as head coach and owed nearly $80 million in buyout money, it feels like the perfect time to look at how this move affects Oregon on the recruiting trail.
Let's start with the 2024 recruiting class, as many recruits will put pen to paper in the next month during the early signing period.
Cameron Coleman
Coleman is the headliner in Texas A&M's class and while the five-star wide receiver remains committed to the Aggies, he's also gone on record saying that his recruitment is still open.
I would think the word is out at this point, but Coleman is playing his high school ball under Bo Nix's father Patrick Nix at Central High School in Phenix, Alabama. I don't believe Coleman has visited Oregon before, but he has an offer from the Ducks and it doesn't seem far fetched to think this could be just the opening Oregon needs as they continue searching for reinforcements at wideout in 2024.
Terry Bussey
Another dynamic player in the Aggies' 2024 class, Bussey can do it all. He's a great defensive back, but can also play wide receiver, slot and even quarterback. The Timpson (Tex.) standout is a five-star recruit and had previously listed the Ducks in his top schools.
It stands to reason an in-state guy will be hard to pull away from the Aggies, but I expect he'll at the very least get a call from the Ducks.
Isendre Ahfua
Some Duck fans probably recognize this name. Ahfua is one of the top offensive line recruits on the West Coast and plays his high school ball at Seattle (Wash.) O'Dea along with dynamic running back Jason Brown Jr.
Ahfua has been solid with his pledge, but I was told a long time ago that he was looking ready to hop in the fold with the Ducks when Adrian Klemm and Viane Talamaivao were on staff. Obviously a lot has changed since then, but he's someone in this class that has previously had Oregon ties.
Tristan Jernigan
The Tupelo (Miss.) linebacker is probably the last name worth a mention in the 2024 class. Prior to committing to the Aggies in May, he was working from a final group that included Oregon and Georgia as well.
Admittedly I never heard very strong Oregon buzz, and given the linebackers the Ducks are already set to add I'm not sure how big of a priority he'll be.
The transfer portal
*Editor's note: I haven't received specific intel or heard anything about these players being linked to Oregon since arriving at Texas A&M. I am NOT reporting that they intend to enter the transfer portal.*
There's already a lot of speculation that some of the biggest names that have come to College Station in recent years are gearing up to hit the transfer portal with Fisher out as the head coach. That's likely to happen at any school, just look at Oregon following Mario Cristobal's departure to Miami.
That said, things could get interesting if some players do decide to open up their options and look for a new home.
There's a small group of players I think are worth watching seeing that they chose the Aggies over the Ducks as recruits.
Looking at the 2023 class, David Hicks was the headliner for the Aggies in that group and was very high on Oregon prior to announcing his commitment. The Ducks also recruited Daymion Sanford, a 2023 linebacker that was teammates with Hicks at Katy (Tex.) Paetow.
The duo of Dan Lanning and Tosh Lupoi was already attracting top defensive talent, and with the on-field results we've seen this year that will continue to be the case.
Other players Oregon had previously recruited in the 2022 class include LT Overton, a five-star defensive lineman from Alpharetta (Ga.) Milton.
